In the oil and gas industry, infrastructural corrosion (e.g., pipe corrosion) is a major problem responsible for significant costs. As pipes and vessels are typically covered with insulating or covering layers, such as aluminum cladding, corrosion occurring beneath the insulation (CUI) is not evident upon visual inspection, and other non-visual monitoring methods are required to determine whether or not corrosion is present. Infrared inspection is a promising technology for monitoring CUI, as infrared radiation corresponding to internal temperature contrasts can pass through the insulation and can be detected using infrared cameras. The temperature contrasts obtained are indicative of moisture build-up and CUI.
It has been found that while infrared-based monitoring can accurately determine whether CUI is present in an inspected structure, infrared-based monitoring is sensitive to interfering radiation coming sources external to the inspected structure. For example, substantial radiation interference can come from heated objects in the area of the inspected structure, such as nearby concrete and asphalt. The infrared radiation emitted by these sources is typically reflected by the aluminum cladding used on pipes. These reflections can be quite significant in comparison to emissions coming from the inspected structure through the aluminum cladding. This extraneous radiation makes it more difficult to pick up the sometimes subtle temperature contrasts that reveal CUI.
What is therefore needed is a system and method that reduces this extraneous radiation so that the benefits of infrared-based CUI inspection can be more fully realized.